World

A children’s hospital in Kyiv has been hit by missiles as Russia unleashed a deadly barrage across Ukraine. The attack is the biggest bombardment of the Ukrainian capital for several months, officials said. It was part of a wider strike across Ukraine that has left at least 20 dead and around 50 others injured, according

National Rally has come third in the second round of voting in France’s parliamentary election – according to exit polls. Marine Le Pen’s far-right party was being tipped to emerge as the dominant force in French politics following President Emmanuel Macron’s decision to hold a snap poll. But the left-wing New Popular Front coalition won

Voters have gone to the polls for the second time in France in crucial parliamentary run-off elections that threaten political deadlock. While Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally party is expected to win most votes, it faces falling short of a majority. This raises the prospect of a hung parliament, denting the authority of President

More than 50 candidates and their supporters have been attacked ahead of a second round of voting in France’s parliamentary elections. Interior minister Gerald Darmanin said politicians from across the spectrum had faced verbal and physical abuse – often while they were putting up campaign posters. He told BFM that several of the attacks had

Reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian has been elected as Iran’s new president, beating hardline conservative Saeed Jalili. The country’s interior ministry confirmed Mr Pezeshkian’s victory on Saturday, after he secured 16.3 million out of the 30 million votes cast on Friday – Mr Jalili gained 13.5 million. The election was called after the death of former

War in Ukraine will not “miraculously end”, Hungary’s prime minister has said as he defended his talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Viktor Orban angered European Union leaders after holding talks with Mr Putin in Moscow over a potential peace deal in the war launched more than two years ago by Russia. While Mr Orban

Police in Ecuador say 49 kidnapping victims have been rescued from a crime gang in the south of the country. Two suspected kidnappers were arrested during the raid in a mining region in Azuay province. Police said the Los Lobos (The Wolves) crime gang was behind the kidnappings. An earlier statement from the armed forces

A volunteer search party has pulled out of the hunt for Jay Slater, insisting they have not seen a penny of the money raised to help find the missing teenager. Callum Fahim, who flew to Tenerife after contacting the 19-year-old’s mother online, said he has withdrawn after two weeks of looking – and receiving death

Militant group Hezbollah has said it has fired 200 rockets into Israel in one of its largest barrages yet. The Iran-backed organisation claimed it launched the attack on ten Israeli military sites using a “squadron of drones”. Tensions have been boiling around the border between Israel and Lebanon in recent weeks. The Israeli military said

The chances of a newborn baby surviving in Gaza now are not good. On the malnutrition ward at The Kamal Adwan hospital in northern Gaza, babies only days old and often premature, fight for their lives. Mothers are so malnourished themselves that they cannot breastfeed, and so babies are dying, literally starving to death, because

UEFA has launched an investigation into Turkey’s Merih Demiral for allegedly making a political gesture as he celebrated his country’s Euro 2024 victory over Austria. The 26-year-old defender was the match-winner as he scored both of his side’s goals in a 2-1 win to secure his nation a place in the quarter-finals of the tournament

A woman who pleaded for the release of her daughter held hostage by Hamas has died from brain cancer less than a month after she was rescued. Noa Argamani was kidnapped from the Nova music festival in October and video of her being taken away on a motorbike made headlines around the world. Her mother,

The Israeli army has ordered a mass evacuation of Palestinians from the eastern half of Khan Younis in southern Gaza. Israel wrapped up its offensive in the city earlier this year and withdrew most of its forces, but this indicates that troops could soon return. Much of Khan Younis was already destroyed in a long

This is the story of how an obscure company based in an office block on a quiet street in Glasgow became an accessory in Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine. It is the story of how Europe and Russia remain locked in a tense relationship of economic dependence, even as they supposedly cut their ties. It

A new political reality has been revealed in France, it has a new face and a new name – 28-year-old Jordan Bardella. Frontman of the hard-right, he has helped propel National Rally to a clear-cut lead in the first round of parliamentary elections. Bardella, the party’s choice for prime minister, stands on the brink of

Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally party will get the biggest vote share in the first round of France’s parliamentary elections, according to exit polls. As polls closed on the first round of voting on Sunday, National Rally had a strong lead at 33%, followed by the left-wing New Popular Front coalition on 28.5%. President

An Israeli woman who was taken hostage and rescued from Gaza says she wishes people could “learn to love and not hate”. Speaking publicly for the first time since her rescue, Noa Argamani said 120 hostages remain in “Hamas captivity” – including her boyfriend Avinatan Or. Video of her being kidnapped was widely shared after

A bid to cross the Atlantic for the first time in an open basket hydrogen balloon has been scuppered by the weather seven hours after launch. British explorer Sir David Hempleman-Adams, 67, set off from Presque Isle, Maine, with American balloon manufacturer Bert Padelt, 62, and Swiss scientist and entrepreneur Dr Frederik Paulsen, 72. The

A crossbow attacker has been killed after shooting a police officer in the neck while he guarded the Israeli embassy in Serbia, authorities have said. Interior minister Ivica Dacic said the assailant, who has not been identified, fired a bolt at the officer, who “used a weapon in self-defence to shoot the attacker”. The policeman

Ninety minutes is a long watch in politics – ask a Democrat, any Democrat. As the mist was hanging heavy over Atlanta the morning after the presidential debate, for them the metaphors were writing themselves. Hot takes from the night before gave way to clear-eyed, cold assessment that chilled the Democratic Party. Latest: Reaction to